Nintendo Wii U

The Nintendo Wii U will allegedly lack support for Epic's next-generation graphics engine Unreal 4, which could leave it trailing behind the likes of the Xbox 720 and Sony PS4, both of which are rumoured to be landing later this year.

The news came from SpikeTV host Geoff Keighley, who claimed via Twitter that Nintendo's next-gen console will only support Epic's current generation Unreal 3 engine, which has been used to make games such as Gears of War 3.

Keighley has apparently been in close contact with Epic Games, the developers behind EU3 and the upcoming EU4.

Given a stunning unveil via the Samaritan trailer, Unreal 3.5 is the stepping stone between the current and next generation of games consoles.

While it would certainly help to have advanced support for Unreal 3 if the Wii U will indeed lack Unreal 4 support, it could struggle to keep up with the new wave of blockbuster titles that will almost certainly rely on Unreal's upcoming game engine.

Meanwhile, a supposed leak from Blockbuster's internal system in early May revealed several games titles that will allegedly be made available on the Wii U.